


cherry magnet

by dinowoorideul



Category: K-pop, SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Cheol Moves Out, Cheolgyu are Bad at Communication, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups-centric, Company Worker!Mingyu, How Do I Tag, Hurt No Comfort, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, Late Night Writing, Lowercase, M/M, Mingyu realizes too late, Moving Out, Oblivious Kim Mingyu, One Shot, broken relationship, i was sad when I wrote this, implied break up, lovers to strangers, writer!cheol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:54:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28523535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dinowoorideul/pseuds/dinowoorideul
Summary: seungcheol remembers the first item he packed away, a small fridge magnet. it happens after mingyu skips dinner for the first time without telling him.ORseungcheol packs one item every time he feels hurt by what's left of his and mingyu's empty relationship.
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Kim Mingyu
Comments: 5
Kudos: 29





	cherry magnet

**Author's Note:**

> hi
> 
> this fic idea came to me after watching terrace house and watching how the members of the house would move out to go and do better things for themselves. i really need to learn how to write fluff....
> 
> anyways this is dedicated to my best friend jess :]]
> 
> hope you enjoy!

seungcheol remembers the first item he packed away, a small fridge magnet. mingyu had been working overtime and he just wanted to treat him to something nice. he spent over two hours in the kitchen trying to perfect mingyu's favorite dishes. mingyu mainly cooked their meals and it was safe to say that seungcheol forgot most of the recipes he used to be so familiar with. it wasn't his fault, food just tasted better when mingyu made it. he doesn't forget the feeling as he waited hours for the younger to come home, only to be met with a short text message instead. 

' _won't be home tonight, eat without me_.'

he remembers losing his appetite, wrapping up the dishes and putting them all untouched into the fridge. as seungcheol closed the fridge, he stares at the well decorated door. it was covered in pictures of them and their friends, sappy little love notes from when they first moved in together, and a wide assortment of magnets from all the places they had traveled together. mind wandering, he begins to trace his finger over the first one he had added to their collection of magnets. it was a small cherry magnet, he remembers how mingyu would always compare him to one, endearingly of course. so the first time he saw a cherry magnet, he brought it home and stuck it on the door. seungcheol smiles at the thought but grimaces bitterly from being left alone. he tucked it quickly into his pocket, not thinking too much about it. he was just upset, he promised that he would put it back up once mingyu apologized.

the apology never came so the cherry magnet remained the first thing packed away neatly in a suitcase hidden under seungcheol's desk. 

many more of his belongings followed after that. when the suitcase filled, he found himself automatically reaching for a box, then when that filled, another. he found himself packing away more of his items every time something left his stomach twisting and his heart sunken in his chest. it started off small, just like the magnet. small items like the photo album he used to keep in his nightstand when mingyu started leaving to work before giving their typical goodbye kiss, some bracelets from his jewelry box every time mingyu didn't tell him he wasn't going to come home that day, and the list kept growing slowly. it was only natural when bigger items followed. photographs off their walls when he found himself sick of being reminded of how happy they used to be. sheets after he would spend all night waiting for mingyu. there were so many things collecting under his desk that he stopped thinking so hard about it, he knew it was there. he's the one that caused that mess. seungcheol looks back and wishes he never took that cherry magnet away in the first place. maybe if he had spoken up instead, things wouldn't have ended up this way. he would keep telling himself that if mingyu noticed, he would put everything back.

he never noticed so the number of items grew more and more as time passed.

at some point, almost everything had been neatly packed away.

\--

seungcheol wakes up at his desk and rubs his eyes gently. he must have fallen asleep while writing late last night he thinks. the ache in his back and neck gave him all the answers that he needed. he doesn't think about it, but still getting up takes everything he has in him. if seungcheol could, he probably would have sat there for the next three years, not caring about everything that was bothering him. but he knew better than that, the world was going to continue progressing with or without him. plus he's hungry. he rubs at his neck as he gets up to stretch. he stumbles into the bathroom and gets ready for the day. the house is quiet as it always is. it always feels so empty in here he thinks, all that's left in the bathroom that is his is his toothbrush, he silently takes note of that.

he walks towards their room, which is kind of odd when he thinks about it. how he calls it their room when there is not a single thing in there that belongs to him anymore, mingyu included. his eyes linger, looking at the decorations hanging as he passed. the hallways that used to be decorated with pictures of them and of course kkuma. seungcheol replaced most of them with decorative pieces and paintings that he thought mingyu would like from nearby furniture stores. there were photographs that reminded him of mingyu's photos, full of all things that he thought were pretty. he grimaces as he remembers the dates they used to go on where mingyu would beg him to stand next to a field of flowers, because, 'you always manage to make the prettiest things even more beautiful.' it was one of cheol's bigger projects to get mingyu to notice how things were changing, how their relationship was changing. those photos were there every single day and he walks down those hallways every single day, he would have to notice, but mingyu never does. when he stops in front of their bedroom, he holds his breath as he opens the door. it's not as if mingyu would be there, he is usually gone by the time cheol wakes up. he likes to check anyways, if there is any chance that he can see the mingyu he fell in love with. but the bed is empty as always. he goes over and tidies up the bed before heading towards their kitchen. 

to his surprise, he halts when he sees the familiar back of his boyfriend. seungcheol doesn't say a word, was he dreaming? he had prayed for this sight for months, and now that it was in front of him, he had no idea what to do, so he just stands there. it's almost as if nothing had happened, that all the time that seungcheol had been feeling hurt was just a part of his imagination. but he knew better, and he knew that mingyu probably knew better than that as well.

mingyu turns after a few seconds and smiles, "good morning cheollie."

seungcheol snaps out of his daze and nods slowly, the nickname that rolled smoothly off of his tongue seeming almost like a word of a foreign language. he takes a seat at the table awkwardly, fiddling with his fingers. mingyu laughs softly, walking over and placing a kiss on the crown of the older's head. seungcheol instinctively flinches away from the interaction, tears prickling in his eyes. he hesitantly looks up, he notices the hurt in mingyu's eyes before the younger turns to continue what he assumes is cooking them breakfast. his eyes trail after him as he watches the tall boy open their fridge, still not noticing how the door had become completely barren. he quickly grabs the closet thing to him, which happens to be a spoon, from the table and tucks it away into his pajama pants, it has become a habit at this point. not a single word is exchanged until mingyu places a plate full of seungcheol's favorites in front of him and takes the seat next to him.

"it's been a while," he laughs, smile forced on his lips.

"yeah," is the only thing that seungcheol manages to say.

they sit in silence again. seungcheol's appetite is completely lost but he forces himself to chew and swallow, chew and swallow. did his food always taste this way? he stiffens when mingyu's hand encases his. this was supposed to feel normal, it used to always be like this. now he felt like he hadn't spoken to the other in years. they had spoken of course, small talk whenever mingyu came home and seungcheol so happened to be on the couch. things like 'welcome home, dinner is in the fridge' and responses like 'thanks' or 'ate with co-workers'. he closes his eyes as he can't seem to focus on anything other than the small circles that mingyu's thumb was tracing into the back of his hand.

"how have you been?" mingyu hums, letting his head fall onto the other's shoulder. 

"ah- um- i've been okay, good i think."

mingyu had always been touchy, he knows that. he used to love it, but now he just felt out of place. he shifts uncomfortably, mingyu's head slips off his shoulder. mingyu sighs.

"i know i haven't been the best these past few months, i know that cheol," he seems to choke on his words, pausing before he forces out a, "i'm so sorry." 

seungcheol doesn't respond this time. the words fall onto his lap, how was he supposed to react? the sorry he always wanted felt like nothing he thought it would. thoughts clouded in his mind, he thought he would be a lot happier than he was. he just looks up at him, seeing the younger's hand tangled into a mess of black hair. instinctively, cheol reaches up and takes his hand away from his hair, thinking he might be hurting himself unknowingly. he tries to not notice how long mingyu's hair has gotten, but he notices. both hands clasp gently around the now freed hand, he notices the dark bags formed under mingyu's eyes. when was the last time seungcheol had really looked at mingyu? 

"i'll make it up to you i promise, i'll stop working overtime. we can work this out. we can have meals together again, just like this! how does that sound?" he sounds almost broken. 

seungcheol forces himself to nod and put a smile on his face. he rubs the encased hand comfortingly, but it seemed as if the warmth was no longer there. mingyu doesn't seem to notice.

mingyu's face breaks into the biggest smile, "i'll start tonight! we can go to that restaurant you like, the one we went to on our first date."

he watches as the younger picks up the half eaten plate that seungcheol had long given up pretending like he wanted to eat. it stung a little bit, seungcheol always finished mingyu's meals, even on days where he was full. mingyu still doesn't notice, he just looks so happy. the older feels his heart split into a million pieces. 

\--

seungcheol stares at all his things, boxes full of the things he wished could have found a place to remain permanent. he sits and he thinks, isn't this what he has always wanted? for a little over half a year, all he wanted was to sit with mingyu. have a meal, share a laugh, and just be okay again. that's all he wanted. wasn't it? he kept telling himself that if mingyu noticed, he would put everything back. but if that was the case then why couldn't he bring himself to start unpacking. to put pieces of him back into the home that they shared. he realizes it now, even when he doesn't want to. he doesn't know what it felt to love mingyu anymore. he can't remember the warmth in mingyu's eyes, how it felt be loved by him. every single time he threw another item in a box, it felt like he was pulling himself away, taking himself back for himself. the man sits frustrated, he doesn't understand what exactly it is that he's feeling. he knows that he should be sad. he knows that he should be upset. but a part of him couldn't help but feel free.

he took back all the pieces of him that he had thought he had long given away to mingyu.

so he finally packs away his heart, something he had given away a long time ago.

\--

_extra:_

mingyu hurries home from work that day. he calls out to cheol when he bursts through the door, excited for their date. he knew that he wasn't the best. he let everything get to him. work, his friends, his life. he knew that he was avoiding seungcheol, forgetting about the one that had always been constant to him, the most important person to him. mingyu wanted to be better now. he wanted to fix everything that has gone wrong since the moment he stopped loving seungcheol the way he promised he would. when there is no response, he runs to their room in hopes of seeing his boyfriend getting ready. he pauses on the way there, were the hallways always decorated like this? didn't they have photos together there before? he ignores it. mingyu opens the door to see the room was empty. maybe he's just in his office he thinks. 

his breath hitches when he opens the door. how long has this room been empty? the shelves that were once filled with books seemed to be collecting dust. he realizes, it must have been this way for a long time. he stops and thinks about the random paintings that appeared on their walls. the missing accessories on seungcheol's tabletop. it all started to make sense. he searches through his mind to try and remember where things started going wrong. 

he realizes too late that he should have said something when the cherry magnet went missing.

**Author's Note:**

> the one where mingyu realizes everything too late. 
> 
> thank you for reading :]] i had fun writing this


End file.
